Coconino Master Garden Association Gardening Workshops
Penn and Cord Parmenter will be hosting a series of gardening workshops over the course of March 24 - 25, 2018.
Class Descriptions
Mountain Food Growing 101 - 3/24/18, 8 am - 12 pm. $65. This class will cover many great foods that thrive in the mountain’s cool weather, windproof season extenders, hail covers, raised bed preparation, compost options against bears, crop rotation, companion planting, succession planting, vegetables for the shade, mulching, seed saving and more. Altitude doesn’t matter; this class is designed to help all gardeners overcome the wild, wild, west.
Passive Solar Greenhouse Growing - 3/24/18, 4 - 6:30 pm. $40. This class will help take some of the mystery out of something that should be so easy and yet can seem so hard. Matching appropriate plants to the microclimates within the greenhouse is crucial. Often the plants are the best teachers in the greenhouse and together we will learn how to work within the unique eco-system your greenhouse is. Favorite foods, herbs, and flowers will be discussed as well as forcing plants for seed production, overwintering potted plants and succession planting for a year-round harvest.
Top 10 Vegetables for the Mountains - 3/24/18, 1 - 3 pm. $40. This class covers Penn’s top 10 favorite vegetables for growing success in the mountains. These really are some of the most successful mountain-appropriate vegetables to be found. If you grow the plants on this list, you won’t believe how quickly you will have something to eat – so let’s get started! We will discuss the plants' characteristics and needs and how to deliver it to them. We will cover different ways to grow them as well so there is something for everyone. The list of vegetables that prefer the cool, mountain weather is much longer than the list that likes it super warm making it difficult to choose only 10!
Integrated Pest Management and Companion Planting - 3/25/18, 1 - 5 pm. $65.
Whiteflies, Aphids, Bears, Elk – what pest plagues you in the mountain garden? Integrated Pest Management is all about how to manage pests and diseases through the integration of many methods. We outgrow the problem by focusing on the health of our plants, using preventative methods like a clean environment or simply soap and water. Learn how to manage pests while working with nature, using common sense and organic methods. If you learn the pests’ cycles and habits, you can integrate the most appropriate strategy(s) for it.
Companion Planting - Nature knows how to grow - bringing companion plants together and keeping antagonists apart. You can do the same in your garden and greatly increase the health and wellbeing of your plants as well as increasing your yields. Roses do love garlic and tomatoes do love basil and there is usually more than one reason why. Come and learn the science and the lore – make companion planting a natural part of your garden. If you are vegetable gardening especially – companion planting can help you keep your homegrown food fully organic.